


What You Will

by Manuelita_la_Tortuga



Category: Twelfth Night - Shakespeare
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - World War I, Asexual Character, Lesbian Character, Multi, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-06-24 10:51:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15629163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Manuelita_la_Tortuga/pseuds/Manuelita_la_Tortuga
Summary: This is the gay WWI Twelfth Night AU nobody asked for, but which I'm writing anyway.Characters:Violet and Sebastian Atwood - twins, who switch places behind their parents' back in order to each achieve their desired goalsMaria - their aunt, assists them in their deceptionOliver Blackwood - his family and the Atwoods have been friends for a long time. Both sets of parents ask him to take Sebastian under his wing when the former arrives at Oxford.Olivia Kemp - a fellow student at OxfordAnthony Kemp - her brotherAs of now, I have no plans to include the Malvolio subplot.





	1. Chapter 1

Violet looked up in surprise as the door to the library slammed open. She peeked around the arm of the oversized armchair she was ensconced in to see her twin brother, Sebastian, stalking towards her. She sighed and closed her book. She knew that look on his face. There would be no returning to the History of Roman Architecture until Seb had gotten whatever it was that had upset him off his chest.

"What have they done this time?" 

"They never listen!" 

Violet raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, well, what else is new? What about, specifically?" 

Sebastian paced back and forth in front of his sister.

"I'm expected to go up to Oxford next term."

Violet took a sharp breath.

"Oh."

Sebastian turned and knelt next to her, leaning against the arm of her chair.

"I know, I know," he groaned. "This is your dream, not mine. It's just not fair!" He sighed dramatically and flopped over to sit with his back against the armchair, leaning his head back against the arm. "I think they'd have been happier if we'd been one person instead of twins. Someone with your ambition and a real boy's body, instead of… whatever I am." His mouth twisted bitterly.

"You are a real boy!" Violet answered hotly.

"Not as far as they're concerned. They let me wear what I like and keep my hair short. They'll even 'let' me go to university, as if I wanted to. I suppose they think that's better than letting you go. But they don't really think of me as Sebastian. They still think of me as Iris, playing dress-up." 

"They may not, but that doesn't make it any less true," Violet said adamantly.

"Thanks, Vi," Sebastian said gruffly. 

They were silent for a few minutes, each sunk in their own dark thoughts.

"What am I going to do while you're at Oxford?" Violet asked eventually.

"Oh." 

Violet looked at her brother sharply.

"Oh? What do you mean, oh?"

Sebastian cleared his throat awkwardly.

"They… have plans for you too."

Violet's eyes widened in alarm.

"What sort of plans?"

"Finishing school."

Violet fell back against her chair with a groan.

"There is one bright spot," Sebastian hastened to add.

Violet raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Do tell."

"They're sending you to Aunt Maria's." 

Violet's face brightened slightly, then fell again.

"I'd much rather go with you to Oxford."

"And I'd much rather enlist in the RFC. There's a war going on, for heaven's sake!"

Once again, they sank into gloom, and the library fell silent.


	2. Chapter 2

Violet looked up from her breakfast plate as her brother entered the dining room and helped himself from the covered dishes on the sideboard. His spirits did not appear to have recovered from the previous day's news, but she hoped to be able to cheer him up a little. She looked through the doorway to make sure their parents weren't in sight before starting to speak.

"I sent a note to Aunt Maria last night." She pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and unfolded it against her leg, leaning it towards him. "This was her reply."

Sebastian glanced down. The message was brief, and to the point.

"Never fear, ducks. Help is on the way." He glanced back up at his sister. "She's coming?"

Violet smirked and waggled her eyebrows, then quickly refolded the paper and slipped it back in her pocket as their mother entered the dining room, followed closely by their father.

There was very little conversation, as both twins were letting their displeasure at their parents' plans for their future be known. The awkward silence was finally broken by a loud voice coming from the entryway. The twins glanced at each other with small smiles, as their father looked at their mother in confusion.

"That sounds like Maria. Did you know she was coming?"

"No, dear. She didn't tell me."

He stood, but had done little more than that before Aunt Maria swept into the room.

"Ah, there you are, Edgar. Still at breakfast, I see?" She clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "The morning's half gone already."

Violet bit her lip to hide a smile. There weren't many people who could reduce their father to a stuttering mess, but Aunt Maria could do it easily. She was actually their father's aunt, not theirs, an imposing figure even at rest. And at the moment, she was doing her very best to put their parents off their stride.

"What sort of greeting is this, Edgar? I expect better of you."

"Ah. Yes, of course, Aunt Maria." He stepped around the table to kiss her on the cheek. "Good morning." He glanced past her and cleared his throat. "No, uh...no Eliza today?"

"No, no. My dear," she gritted her teeth before continuing, "companion, has remained at the school, keeping things running whilst I'm away. Good morning, Heloise." This to their mother, who was staring at her bemusedly.

"Wh-what are you doing here, Aunt Maria?"

"I have come to help you outfit these two scallywags for the new term." Their father sputtered, but she cut him off with a wave of the hand. "Nonsense, Edgar. You are far too busy to deal with this yourself, and dear Heloise," she gave a simpering smile to their mother, who responded with a sickly one of her own, "doesn't have the experience I do. Violet, is, after all, coming to my own school. Who better to help her prepare?" She turned sternly towards the twins. "Come along, you two. We have much to discuss." 

The twins shot to their feet and allowed Aunt Maria to sweep them out of the dining room, through the house and out to the garden. Once out of sight of the house, she stopped and hugged them both warmly.

"I received your distress call, my dear. Quite a mess my nephew has created. We shall have to put our heads together to fix it."

Sebastian looked at her dubiously.

"How can we possibly fix it? He'll never agree to me joining the RFC."

Aunt Maria raised an eyebrow at him.

"And who says we'll be asking his permission?"

Sebastian blinked in surprise, and turned to his sister, a slow grin growing on his face, and mirrored on hers.

"I have a few ideas. Let's talk." She took them each by the arm and led them deeper into the gardens. "Now, the first question is for you, Violet." She looked sharply at her great-niece. "How attached are you to your hair?"


	3. Chapter 3

Violet pushed the empty suitcase under the small bed and stood, hands on hips, looking around her new rooms approvingly. The small bedroom cum study was smaller than her bedroom back home, and she'd had to decorate in Seb's style, rather than her own, but for the chance to finally be at Balliol College, to finally be allowed to pursue her studies, she'd have taken a room even half the size of her current one.

At least she had privacy. It would be vital to keeping up the façade of being Sebastian rather than Violet Atwood. She was still getting used to the feeling of trousers, as opposed to the split skirts she was used to wearing, but was surprised at how comfortable she found them, and had already decided to add a few pairs to her wardrobe once she and Seb switched back. The strips of cloth bound around her chest were taking longer to get used to. She counted herself lucky that she didn't have much to hide in that area. The bindings were uncomfortable and constricting enough as it was. She spared a thought for Seb, who had been wearing such bindings for the past few years.

With a shake of her head, she dismissed thoughts of clothes from her mind, and made her way to her little desk, where she had placed the letter she'd received from Aunt Maria with last-minute suggestions and information. She skimmed through the letter again.

"Eliza's nephew Alec is also in the RFC. He's a sensible lad and can be trusted. You can exchange correspondence with Sebastian care of 2nd Lieutenant Alec Lewis."

She stopped again a few paragraphs later.

"Young Oliver has been invalided out of the army. He has been released from hospital and will be returning to Balliol this term as well. I have sent him a note to ask him to keep a brotherly eye on 'Sebastian', so you can expect him to pop into your rooms at some point."

Violet felt a little flutter of excitement. It had been years since she and Seb had last seen Oliver. His father and theirs had both been at school, and later university together, and their friendship had continued beyond that time. Oliver was several years older than the twins, but had always treated them like favourite younger siblings, rather than the nuisances Violet feared they must have been. Violet in particular had hung on his every word, rather smitten with the kind, somewhat melancholy older boy. But for the war, he would have already finished his course of study, and not in her wildest dreams had Violet imagined sharing her studies with him.

She was startled by a loud knock on the door of her study. With a gasp, she refolded the letter and slipped it under the blotter, before hurrying to open the door.

It was the man himself, looking paler and thinner than she remembered, and leaning heavily on both a cane and the doorjamb, but giving her the same smile she remembered from her childhood.

"Ollie!" she squeaked, then cleared her throat and tried for Seb's huskier tone. "Aunt Maria told me you'd be back this term, but I didn't expect to see you so soon."

"Hullo, Seb. Can I come in?"

Violet belatedly realized she'd been blocking the doorway and stood to the side.

"Yes, of course." She looked around the room wildly. "I'm afraid I've only the one chair, or the bed to sit on."

"I'll take the chair, if you don't mind. I've spent too much time in beds recently."

He lowered himself slowly into the chair, with his bad leg stretched out in front of him. Violet perched on the edge of the bed across from him, trying her best not to look too ladylike.

"How's the… uh…" she gestured towards his leg.

He grimaced and shrugged. 

"I can walk. That's more than the medicos expected when they first saw me. If you don't mind, though, Seb, I've rather had enough of talking about it at the hospital."

"Yes, of course." Violet grasped for another topic of conversation.

"All settled in, then?" Oliver saved her from her own blank brain. "Thought I'd better come by right away. Your Aunt Maria is a fearsome creature I'd rather not provoke."

Violet grinned.

"Yes, it's best to stay on her good side. She came in a few weeks ago and got us all set up for the beginning of term. Dad was…" she smirked, "a bit discomposed, to put it lightly."

Oliver laughed.

"Maybe I could get her to come over to mine and take on my parents too." At Violet's enquiring glance, he continued. "They're on at me about passing on the family name again." He sighed. 

"You'd think they'd be happy just knowing you're still alive," Violet said unthinkingly, then gasped and put out a hand. "Sorry, I didn't mean…" 

Oliver grinned and sat back in the chair.

"You'd think, but if anything, proof of my mortality has made them worse. I've been instructed to get a move on, or they'll take steps of their own. They even," he raised a sardonic eyebrow, "sent me a list of suggestions." He pulled a folded piece of paper out of one pocket and held it out to her. "You'll notice your sister's name is on it."

Violet felt her heart stutter.

"Oh?" She did her best to keep a straight face.

"Never fear, I'd prefer someone I _don't_ think of as a sister."

Violet felt a twinge of disappointment, which she did her best to hide as she unfolded the sheet he'd handed her and looked through it. She saw, as he had said, her own name among half a dozen others.

"So, will you be following any of their other suggestions?"

He grimaced.

"Silly things, most of them, with the exception of your sister and one other. Olivia Kemp. She's also an Oxonian, she's at Lady Margaret Hall. If I must woo, I'd rather woo sense."

Violet's brow furrowed as she tried to make that out.

"I don't think that's usually how wooing goes."

Oliver shrugged.

"Wooing's not really my thing, though, never has been." He paused and looked her over for a moment. "Say, I don't suppose you'd be willing to serve as messenger boy for me, would you? As I said, wooing, flirting, lovemaking, none of that's really my forte. I'd probably have better success with her if she were looking at your handsome face. And you're young enough that you'll get less guff from the wardens over at Lady Margaret. What do you say? Help a fellow out?"


	4. Chapter 4

"There's someone downstairs for you, Liv."

Olivia looked up from her book and stretched, before turning to her friend.

"Thanks, Poppy. Who is it? Not one of Blackwood's lackeys again, is it?"

The young woman shrugged. 

"Never seen him before. Good looking, but a bit young for me."

Olivia frowned.

"What does he want?"

"You. Now stop asking me silly questions and go down and flirt with the young man before visiting hours end."

Olivia made a face and Poppy laughed.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot. You'd rather flirt with girls."

"Well, I suppose I'd best go down and see what he wants, regardless."

She marked her place in the book, and made her way down to the drawing room, the one place in the building men were allowed to enter. She paused in the doorway and looked around, immediately noticing the one person standing alone. Poppy had been right. He was good looking, tall and gangly in the unfinished way of a half-grown colt, with delicate features and large, expressive eyes.

Those eyes turned towards her and he took a hesitant step in her direction.

"Are you Miss Kemp?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow, shocked at her own reaction to the young man. Until now, only other women had elicited such a response in her, and she wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Who's asking?"

He straightened and sketched a quick bow.

"My apologies. My name is V… uh, Sebastian Atwood."

Olivia gave him an amused glance. 

"Vahsebastian? What an unusual name."

She watched his cheeks darken at her teasing and smiled.

"Well, Mr Vahsebastian Atwood. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Oh, yes, of course." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. "I have a message for you." He held it out to her. 

She looked at it dubiously, making no move to take it.

"Who from?"

"Oliver Blackwood."

Olivia sighed and shook her head.

"Not again."

The boy gave her a confused look.

"You're not the first person he's sent to deliver messages for him, you know."

She was surprised to see a look of disappointment in his face.

"Oh." He proffered it again. "Will you take it?"

She clasped her hands behind her back.

"Certainly not. I know exactly what it says, and I have informed Mr Blackwood of my response on more than one occasion."

"He's not a bad chap, you know. I'm sure you'd get to like him if you only gave him a chance."

"I have no doubt Mr Blackwood has many good qualities, however…" she was interrupted by a chiming bell. "Visiting hours are over. I'm afraid you'll have to go." She watched his face fall, and his hand drop. "If you'd like to come and tell me more about Mr Blackwood's good qualities, however…" 

He looked at her with a beaming smile and nodded, even as she bit her tongue, wondering what had come over her.

"I'll do that. Good evening, Miss Kemp."

\+ + +

"Well, how did it go?"

Violet held up the letter.

"She wouldn't take it. And she said you've sent her other letters too?"

Oliver sighed.

"Yes. I started this before I left. I hoped she might be more open now that I'm a wounded war hero."

"Well, don't give up hope, Ollie. She invited me to come back and tell her more about you."

Oliver laughed.

"That's more than any of the other chaps managed. What did you think of her?"

"She's very beautiful."

"She is that. What else?"

"I don't know, Ollie. I spent less than five minutes in her company. I didn't know they had set visiting hours, and arrived near the end."

"Well, thanks for trying, Seb. And for agreeing to go back." He patted her back. "I'll leave you to it, then."

Violet sat staring at the door for several minutes after Oliver closed it. Her mind was whirling and confused. On the one hand, she still felt disappointed that Oliver had so quickly crossed her name off his list of potential partners. But she was a little surprised at the mildness of this sentiment. After years of mooning after Ollie, she would have expected a stronger reaction. More like the reaction she had had upon seeing Olivia for the first time. A reaction strong enough that she had nearly blurted out her true name, for goodness sake! What on earth had come over her?

\+ + +

Dear Vi,

Just a short note this time. I'm settling in well and very busy. It's everything I could have hoped. They haven't let me fly one of the birds myself yet, but I've been up a few times as gunner. I've been partnered with a fellow named Anthony Kemp. Good chap. Really steady. He's been here a bit longer than I have and has been showing me the ropes. That's all for today. I still have pages and pages of reading to do. Lots of love.

Your brother,

Sebastian

**Author's Note:**

> Spent ages trying to find information on the daily life of Oxford students in the early 20th Century, but came up blank, so all such details are completely made up and probably wrong.


End file.
